Gospel

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

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The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ - the word literally means "Good News". It is the news that our forgiveness and salvation comes through his death and resurrection. The word is also used to denote the four narratives of Jesus life in the New Testament, for example, the gospel of John.

Derivation and usage

In Christianity, gospel derives from the Old English word for "good news". In the New Testament it is a translation of the Greek word evangelion.

The word gospel is generally used in two ways:

To denote the proclamation of God's saving activity in Jesus Christ or to denote the message proclaimed by Jesus. This is the original New Testament usage (see Romans 1:1 or Mark 1:1).

As a proper name in referring to the four canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and sometimes other non-canonical works (such as Gospel of Thomas), that offer a narrative of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

The term gospel was used by the apostle Paul when he reminded the church at Corinth of the gospel he had preached to them (1 Corinthians 15:1). He characterized it in the simplest terms, emphasizing Christ's appearances after the Resurrection (15:1-8):

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (ESV)